Landmarks Supports Fifth/Forbes Plan

The City’s selection of Kravco as the developer for the Fifth/Forbes retail effort together with a commitment to recommendations made by the Plan C Committee and those of the consultant Don Hunter are being supported by Landmarks.

Kravco has promised to weave the Fifth/Forbes leasing effort into the total fabric of downtown utilizing the existing anchors of the Cultural District, office workers, department stores and buildings. No wholesale obliteration of buildings will occur as were proposed under Urban Retail Properties’ plan.

“ Kravco has adopted an incremental development approach, respecting the historic buildings and adding appropriately designed infill construction, as well as starting with a marketing base of the people who are already shopping in the area,” said Arthur Ziegler, president, “and we believe such an approach has the best chance of success. The developer respects the uniqueness and strengths that Pittsburgh has and builds on them”

The effort will be to secure retail tenants for Fifth/Forbes Avenues without requiring massive demolition for expensive movie theatres and more department stores. Housing will be a vital ingredient as well.

The development concept is much more in the tradition of Jane Jacobs’ analyses of both the growth and the revitalization of cities, an approach that has been proven to work and is outlined in Roberta Gratz‘s Cities Back From the Edge.”

“This developer realizes the anchors we already have in the downtown community in terms of demographics, buildings, retail stores and architecture. The first step in revitalizing a downtown is to recognize its own qualities and see them as strengths and seek retail appropriate to them, retail that will enlarge the market and be successful financially in the long term at the lowest possible taxpayer cost”, said Mr. Ziegler, “and we congratulate Mayor Tom Murphy on his selection.”

Landmarks will make its studies of the buildings in the area available to the developer during the four month preliminary period and has offered to work closely to help bring the project to success.# # #